No Fewer Than 6 Perish in Crowd Crush at Ghanaian Armed Forces Enlistment Event
No fewer than 6 individuals have lost their lives amid a stampede at a military recruitment gathering held in a stadium in Ghana.
The Wednesday's "devastating" incident seems to have been caused by "an unexpected surge of applicants who overcame security measures and stormed the entrances," announced a release from the nation's military.
22 others were injured, among them five who remain in critical condition.
Thousands had gathered at the El-Wak sports venue, in the capital, the capital, with the aspiration of enlisting in the armed forces.
The country has a rate of joblessness among young people of approximately 32%, the most recent official data indicate, and such enlistment drives normally attract massive gatherings and often lead to chaotic scenes.
The deadline to submit applications for this event was prolonged for a week to allow for more applicants, as a number had experienced difficulties in the application procedure.
Army spokesperson Capt Veronica Adzo Arhin said the stampede occurred before the event's scheduled start of 06:20 GMT.
The nation's leader John Mahama has gone to see the wounded in medical care.
Order has been restored, and the enlistment process has now begun.
